'Buzzy' Bristol one of best cities

Bristol has been deemed "simply one of the best places to live in Britain" thanks to factors such as the city's "decent schools" and "buzzy culture".

The accolade comes in the second part of The Sunday Times's Best Places to Live in Britain, which focuses on every city in Britain, published today.

The supplement heaps praise on Bristol thanks to "one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, varied and beautiful housing stock, decent schools, buzzy culture and night life and access to some fantastic countryside".

The city's connectivity also worked in its favour, with plans to modernise the rail links between London and Cardiff set to reduce journey times between London and Bristol by 20 minutes, the newspaper said.

The Sunday Times Best Places to Live Part 2 profiles each one of the 64 cities in Britain, but does not rank them. It covers the biggest such as London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle, as well as places such as Chichester, Ely, Lichfield and St Davids.

It also highlights the top buy-to-let hotspots, and the top 10 locations to be within hiking distance of Britain's wildest, most beautiful countryside, as well as the best places for views, for families, for investment, for culture, and the most innovative and creative.

Home Editor Helen Davies said: "Cities can be fabulous places to live. They offer almost everything you could ever want. Many of us already live in a city and even more of us are predicted to make our home in one in the next decade.

"The urban lifestyle appeals to almost everyone: from those in their twenties starting out, families putting down roots and retirees moving back into the bustle of a city centre. Overall, the list is a celebration of city life."

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Idylls from across England, Scotland and Wales proved the most desirable for home owners, according to the newspaper's 101 Best Places to Live in Britain, which was published last weekend.

The supplement named Skipton in North Yorkshire as the number one, praising its ideal combination of low crime rates, "top class" schools, great transport links, a "buzzing" high street dominated by independent shops, pretty and reasonably priced property, and beautiful surrounding countryside.

In second place was Newnham in Cambridge, in third was Monmouth in Monmouthshire, Wales, while seaside town Falmouth in Cornwall took fourth spot.

The guide also uses data from Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide, to reveal the top places to live to be near the best primary and state schools.

The Sunday Times Best Places for primary schools are Bermondsey in south east London, Maidenhead, Nottingham, Putney in south west London, Rossendale, Rugby, Ruislip, St Albans, Stockton-on-Tees and Wetherby.

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The Sunday Times Best Places for state schools are Altrincham, Barnet, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Durham, Gloucester, Harrogate, Maidstone, Sheffield and York.

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